As our volunteers serve as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, hurting residents are reminded they are not alone.
All afternoon, Rebecca Clement sat outside watching Samaritan’s Purse volunteers work on her roof. She pulled out her phone to take pictures as they tarped over new damage and some older holes, too. This included punctures from three years ago when a tree branch slammed onto her roof during Hurricane Ida.
Volunteers work meticulously to ensure the tarp provides reliable protection from the elements.
A friend had patched the holes for her back then. A nephew tried to tarp over the damage as new leaks appeared over the years. But water still made it inside, worsening the problem long before Hurricane Francine blew into town in early September. When Rebecca returned to her home after the storm, she noticed even worse leaks and damage than before. She feared that her roof was beyond help.
“I’ll hear a drop of water and think ‘my entire roof is going to collapse right now. This is all I have, and I’m going to lose it,’” Rebecca said.
When she saw the Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Relief Unit parked at a nearby church, Rebecca didn’t have much hope that anything could be done, but she decided there was no harm in calling the number to request help.
“You can’t even get up there,” Rebecca told the Samaritan’s Purse staff. They told her, “We’re going to see if we can do anything.”
Volunteers pray with Rebecca after work on her home. She recommitted her life to Jesus Christ in discussions with Billy Graham chaplains during our time there.
The next day, a team of six volunteers, under the expert guidance of their team leader, began securing new weather-resistant tarp over Rebecca’s roof. Though Samaritan’s Purse tarps aren’t a permanent shelter solution, they’d be able to remain intact for around a year in Louisiana’s tough climate.
“I feel a lot of relief,” said Rebecca, snapping a picture. “I’m going to be able to sleep and not worry that if it drizzles tonight, the children’s swimming pool in my living room is going to fill up.”
It’s difficult to overstate the emotional distress of storm survivors in south-central Louisiana, or their ability to get back on their feet. Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief program manager Andrew Metcalfe has responded to nearly a dozen disasters in the state.
“Folks down here are resilient people,” said Metcalfe. “We’ve seen a lot of people that are still trying to recover from Hurricane Ida, and now they’ve been hit by Hurricane Francine, which has torn apart some of their temporary repairs as they’ve been trying to make life work.”
Offering Help, Sharing Hope in Jesus’ Name
Rebecca shared that her faith has taken a “huge beating” since Hurricane Ida and Francine. She said the repeated pummeling of the region has left her with some difficult questions for God.
Our volunteers worked hard to repair her roof but also reminded her of God’s love for her.
“There’s the stress disorder of what happened before, and it’s like, ‘You saw that we weren’t doing okay. Why would You do this again?’”
As our team got to work on her home, they reminded Rebecca that God had led them to her. During water breaks, they continued to encourage her with the truth that God loved her and that He had sent them her way to meet her needs. Rebecca began to see that their actions matched their words.
“They were all sweating buckets, and working so hard with amazing attitudes,” said Rebecca. “It’s witnessing God’s love in motion.”
Over two days, the team covered every inch of Rebecca’s roof with tarp. During that time, Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains also stopped by to pray with Rebecca and hear her story. Over the course of their conversation, Rebecca decided to rededicate her life to Jesus Christ.
“I feel more peaceful right now because I don’t have to worry about so much,” said Rebecca. “The only reason that this is really possible is because of work God did in other people’s lives. So, I think it’s time I allow Him to work in mine more.”
Francine is the first hurricane to hit Houma, Louisiana, since Ida tore into the state in 2021. Samaritan’s Purse stayed in the area that year for more than six months to help the many hurting. Later, we returned to rebuild homes in Houma. Still many families in the area have fought to recover bit by bit for years, and the latest disaster puts them back into survival mode.
We praise God that we were able to come back and assist many of these same families in the wake of Francine. Please pray for families in south-central Louisiana who are searching for hope and a way forward in the midst of disaster.
